Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999 16:35:36 -0600 (MDT) From: "Katherine R. Freymuth" X-Sender: krfreymu@brain.uccs.edu Subject: Whale ch 14 Message-ID: Chapter 14 Al exited the Imaging Chamber to see Gushie being helped off of the floor by a captain who had entered the Control Room only seconds before Al. "Gushie, are you all right?" he asked quickly. Gushie nodded slowly. "I think so. My head is pounding, though." Al looked around quickly. Donna was lying a few feet away from Gushie, chest down against the floor. He quickly went over to her and checked for a pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found that it was strong and steady. The scientist was unconscious. Further investigation found the cause of her unconsciousness: a tranquilizer dart on the left side of her chest. *Gawd, if that were a bullet, she'd be dead*, Al realized as he stood up. The captain was now at the Waiting Room door, looking over the two guards. One of them was obviously dead, his neck bent in an unnatural angle. The other was unconscious, three tranquilizer darts in his chest. "Captain," Al ordered firmly, instantly gaining the officer's attention. "I want an immediate complex-wide search. All civilians are to stay in their quarters or their offices with their doors locked until the complex is secured. Remember, this person we're looking for looks like Dr. Beckett and is to be taken alive. Use tranquilizers but, if you must use live ammo, shoot only to wound. Is that understood, Captain? We need her alive!" "Aye, sir!" the Captain saluted and was dismissed. "Ziggy, is the med-team on the way?" Al questioned as he knelt by the guards at the Waiting Room door. "Yes, Admiral," Ziggy replied. "What the hell happened?" he demanded. "How did she get passed the Control Room? Where's Jamese?" "Lieutenant Jamese is unconscious three feet away from the Control Room door, Admiral. I'm afraid Zoe was quite thorough in insuring her escape. As for the answer to your other questions, she surprised Corporal Burke and Ensign Hastings when she opened the Waiting Room door and grabbed Corporal Burke from behind. She was able to shoot Ensign Hastings with Corporal Burke's tranquilizer just before she broke the Corporal's neck. She then shot Dr. Conelf and Dr. Elesee. She then left the Control Room and shot Lieutenant Jamese as he approached the Control Room. Unfortunately, I was unable to sound the alarm before she was able to kill Corporal Burke." Al frowned at the ceiling. "Why didn't you sound it before she got out and killed Burke?" he said angrily. "I was unaware of her intention to escape," Ziggy defended as the med-techs entered the room, one assisting Lieutenant Jamese into the Control Room. Al frowned again at Ziggy's response. He looked over to the med-techs before stepping aside to let them work. "Corporal Burke is dead," he told them. "Hastings is unconscious." He heard a slight moan from behind him and turned to see Donna slowly regaining consciousness. He quickly went back over to her and helped her off the floor. "Are you okay?" he asked with concern. "I think so," she replied groggily. She moaned again, leaning into Al for support as she lost her balance and started slipping to the floor. Al grabbed hold of her tightly as a med-tech went to them and took her into his care. The med-tech looked into her eyes carefully and then motioned one of his colleagues over to him. "Looks like she's having a bad reaction to the tranquilizer," he told his colleague. "Get her up to the infirmary immediately." Al and Gushie watched with concern as Donna was taken out of the Control Room on a stretcher, her skin paling. Al exhaled and rubbed his face slightly. He looked around himself again. Hastings, still unconscious, was taken up to the infirmary to be examined. Gushie was led out of the Control Room to be examined as well. Jamese seemed to be the only one standing straight who was shot with a tranquilizer. Aside from Jamese and Al, the Control Room was empty. "Jamese," Al walked to him. "How do you feel?" 'I'm better, sir," Jamese responded. "Good," Al replied. "We need every man we can get to capture Zoe. Are you up to it?" Jamese nodded firmly. "Yes, sir!" Al took a breath. "Then, let's go," he ordered, leaving the Control Room with Jamese in tail. Zoe stopped to regain her breath. The struggle with those Marines had worn her out. But at least the tough part was over. Now she had the task of getting the supplies she needed, a task which was very difficult but not impossible, thanks to her knowledge of the complex's layout. It was made easier for her due to the fact that she had taken Jamese's radio with her. She listened to the chatter, learning where the search teams were at any time. The rooms she needed to go to were well-guarded but she wasn't worried. She had procured a loaded pistol from the tenth level armory, thanks to the very poor security system. She finally reached her destination without being seen. She aimed carefully and shot the guard dead. A moment later, she was in the room. Everything she needed was right there, waiting to be used just as her memory told her it would be. As she gathered what she needed into an available shoulder- bag, she heard Admiral Calavicci's voice come over the radio. "Cut the chatter, boys. She has a radio. Go to a secure channel." Zoe smiled slightly. That didn't mean they knew where she was, though. Finishing her collection, she opened the door slowly and looked around. All was clear. She made her way to the stairwell. She had one thing to do before going down the stairs to the ninth level. "Zoe," Al said as she left the room, "you might as well surrender yourself. You'll never return to your own people if you're running around like this." Zoe laughed slightly. *So, you want to trick me into revealing my location*, she thought, knowing Al's tactics. *Okay. I'll play your game.* "Admiral," she said into the radio, "I will return to your Holding Chamber... excuse me, the Waiting Room... only when I am ready. And, Admiral? Nice trying to locate me signal," she finished as she arrived at the seventh level. She kept the channel open and threw the radio through the door. The radio came to rest halfway down the hallway as Zoe changed direction and started to climb the stairs. "We've located her, sir," the communications operator told Al. "Don't count on it," Al muttered to himself before raising his radio. "Channel secure. Where, Lieutenant?" "Level seven, section B." "Let's go," Al ordered his search party, leading the team of four to the elevator. He lifted his radio again. "Inform me of any change in her position." "Aye, sir." The team got into the elevator and started down towards the seventh level. Al requested a location update. There was no change, as Al had thought. It didn't take Zoe a long time to take care of the one detail she needed to finish before going back down the stairwell towards level nine. If everything worked out (which she was certain it would), she wouldn't have to worry about any security until she was safely back in the Waiting Room. She looked at the watch she put on and smiled. Everything was going like clockwork. Confidently, she stood and left the area, leaving a dead guard behind her. Al's party arrived at the seventh level to find no sign of Zoe in the area, as Al thought would be the case. However, they did find Lt. Jamese's radio lying in the middle of the hallway. "Damn," Al muttered in frustration, putting the radio on his belt. "Admiral," a voice came over Al's radio as Al gathered his party together after they had searched the level. Al raised his radio. "Go ahead." "Sir, I just found one of our men on level five. He's dead, sir, and someone's broken into storage room twelve. His radio's missing too, sir." Al's brow furrowed. "Okay. Keep your eyes open. If you see anyone suspicious, don't hesitate to shoot. Remember, our target has live ammunition. Jamese, keep an eye out. She might be on her way back to level ten." "Aye, sir," Jamese answered the order over the radio. Al looked at his party. "We're heading for nine," he ordered. As the doors opened on level nine, Al was faced with Zoe, who was about to get on the elevator. Seeing Al, the woman bolted down the hallway. "Stay here," Al ordered one of the guards as he and the other pursued. He drew his pistol to shoot her and fired just as she dived through the stairwell door. "Damn!" he exclaimed when the dart missed her. He and the other guard quickly followed her into the stairwell to hear her going up to the eighth level. *Damn, she knows the complex's layout!* he thought. *She knows the only way to the Control Room available is via the elevator because the security doors on level ten are sealed - the doors that separate the vital parts of the complex from the tenth level offices and labs.* They followed her up the stairwell in pursuit. They caught up with Zoe as she waited for the elevator to arrive. Before either could get one shot off, Zoe saw them and fired a shot as she dived into the elevator. The guard cried out as he collapsed to the floor. Al quickly glanced at his man to make sure he wasn't seriously harmed before racing to the elevator. The doors had closed before he arrived. He pounded the elevator doors in frustration. "Ziggy, bring the elevator back to the eighth level," he ordered firmly. "I'm afraid I cannot, Admiral. There has been an override in the elevator's functions. I have no control over it." Al exhaled as he raised his radio. "Jamese, heads up! She's on her way." There was no answer. "Jamese?" Al called. Still no answer. "Shit," Al muttered. He raised his radio again. "Team two, meet me on level nine. Parker, stand ready. Daniels, Carter's been injured. Get him to the infirmary." Lowering his radio, he gave the guard a reassuring nod before hurrying down the stairwell to regroup.